What could have been
by romance123lover
Summary: He was ready to lie, ready to end their impossible love. But his voice didn't come as the crying girl asked him the simplest yet hardest question - "Do you love me?" Takes place around chapter 47 , when Shishio breaks both their hearts... Not in this story though!
1. Chapter 1

**The big "what if" moment that has probably been written a thousand times; that Shihsio did not end their relationship :D My version**

He was ready to lie, to end their impossible relationship. Shishio Satsuki was a man that didn't like difficulties, even if it would break both their hearts. But when that girl asked him a question he had prepared himself to lie at, he couldn't find himself able to say it as he locked his eyes with her teary ones. She was still breathtaking when crying. She asked him a simple question, "Do you LOVE me?" and he was supposed to say "no" that he didn't love her, didn't feel the same way. Yet there was something that held his tongue, as he was about to spout another lie at her, but he couldn't. Not when she was looking so desperate for the honest truth, with him feeling the same way as her.

The love of his life was his student. A student. And he was her teacher, 9 years apart.

He didn't like difficulties, and he was usually quick to flee the situation. It was the easiest. Still, the lie did not come out as planned, he closed his eyes; bringing the front of his palm to his forehead, teeth clenched out of frustration. He leaned his weight on a desk, mumbling "idiot" to himself multiple times. A realization came upon him as he thought that maybe for once in his life he would actually fight for something that he wanted, set his pride aside for once. He gazed up at the crying girl, who had slowly sunken to the ground, tears falling like waterfalls.

He didn't want to end this, may it be a selfish act again, because it was clearly not just for her, but also for him. He stood up from the desk, took long steps to where his student sat shaken on the dirtied floor. He carried her up, startling the young girl. He sat her on one of the many desks in the room. Taking a deep breath, he cupped her wet face, making her look with scared eyes at him. He smiled a cheesy grin, producing a flash of light in both their eyes.

"You are truly a daytime shooting star that I am to selfish to let descend back to heaven. Haha, you idiot, of course I love you! I can't believe you thought otherwise after all we've been through."

That's when he leaned in to kiss her. She was confused at what he had just said, but quickly welcomed the slightly chapped lips of her sensei. She too knew it was wrong, yet this kiss, which she shared with him felt utterly unbelievably right. And she realized that even if they would have to struggle to keep this relationship working, she would fight until the very end for it to work.

….

Mamura and Yuyuka walked to the computer-room, Yuyuka feeling a bit worried that Mamura would find out Yosano's relationship with Shishio-sensei. Just as Mamura was about to open the door Yuyuka raised a hand to stop him

"Maybe we shoul-"

But it was too late, and as he opened the door, both witnessed the truth of a forbidden love. Before the kissing pair could even notice the young teens at the door it was shut. Yuyuka looked warily up to see Mamura's expression, and even though she knew that the boy had feelings for that girl who was kissing another man, she did not expect this.

Mamura was shell-shocked, undeniably so. Without any warning he was met with his worst fear, his first love, kissing another man. Wet strips of tears rolled down the side of each cheek. His face fell down, bangs covering the stained eyes. He could tell that Yuyuka was shocked over his reaction. Before he was absorbed with tears, he turned around, back against Yuyuka

"Sorry, I just need a moment,"

Yuyuka felt her hand tug at his shirt, despite the situation; she could not help but ask him something important

"Please keep this a secret… don't tell anyone what you saw, for Yosano's sake."

Mamura halted for an instant, but quickly started walking again. He was heartbroken, and his tears wouldn't seem to stop! The corridor was silent as he continued down the path of disappointment.

…

Shishio let go of Yosano's face, a sprinkle of pink covering his cheeks as he averted his gaze to a dust pile on the floor, an awkward smile fending his bold action. He obviously knew that this was wrong, illegal even, the thing he shared with this girl. And he hated his guts for actually taking a leap of fate and telling her the truth. But he was really selfish when it came to his ChunChun and he wanted to keep her to himself. It had always been like that, him going out of his comfort-zone without thinking whenever he was around this beauty. Love truly made him incredibly blind for this girl.

When he dared look back and meet her wonderful blue orbs, he couldn't hold back the toothy grin that spread across his face. He leaned down to peck her round beautiful forehead, leaving a soft kiss to linger there.

"Nice to confirm that we feel the same way, ey?"

He smirked at her, and her whole face turned bright red from embarrassment. Despite herself she mustered a giggle. Happily she met his adoring gaze. She remembered all their moments together, how she first met him, thinking he was a shady guy from Tokyo, to actually being this nice and incredible person everyone loves, always being there to keep her company like the bowling, the aquarium, and all the way back to the fireflies, when she couldn't go out because she had a fever. Making her heart both throb of sadness and making it leap of joy whenever they were together.

Surprising both him and herself, she jumped at him, hugging him while crying in the crook of his warm neck, tears rolling down her face.

"Sensei, I love you so much."

The man was taken aback, but quickly wrapped his lean arms around her, never wanting to let go.

"I love you too Suzume-chan, truly, truly love you."

….

Today was Friday, and Yosano was going to visit her mom on the countryside. Her mood was sparkling with happiness; despite it already having been a couple days since she confessed her love to Shishio-sensei, where he had returned her feelings! After the last class was over, she turned to look at Mamura, and her good mood fell a little. Lately Mamura had ignored her more and more, not talking to her without looking a bit restrained. She couldn't understand why, maybe it was because she didn't feel the same way he felt for her and he had finally understood it? She wrote a mental note to write a list on how to ask him if there was something she did to him when she came back home from her old house.

After finishing cleaning the classroom she arrived at the school entrance, there she noticed Shishio leaning against the brick wall, a cigarette in between his thin lips. His eyes perked up as he saw hers. Pushing himself into a standing position, he sent her a pearly smile.

"Do you want to walk home together Chunchun?"

The girl's heart skipped a beat. Face flustered she nodded with an "mhm". And they walked together, with a distance a bit closer than what a student and a teacher should have.

Before they arrived at her place, Shishio stopped Yosano. Quickly gazing right to left, notifying that they were alone. Certain that they were alone, he dived in and kissed the dazed girl full on the lips. It was quick, and he let her go right after.

"Sorry, but I think your uncle's got a suspicion of us, so this is as far as I can go."

She nodded in understanding, a dust of pink on her face.

"See you on Monday then."

She didn't get far as Shishio grabbed her hand, pulling her back to face him. Another scanning to indicate that they were still alone as he held her hand firmly. She looked expectantly at him

"Chunchun, do you, uhm, want to hang out next weekend? Anywhere you like."

Her eyes sparkled at the question. An idea sprouted. With a determined, yet not so emotional face, she gave him an answer

"How about an onsen! I've always wanted to go to one."

A mortifying look crossed Shishio's face.

"Chun- eh, ChunChun, don't you have anywhere else you would prefer? I- I mean the onsen of all places… Just you and me, alone,"

He let the last sentence sink in, and Yosano's face flushed bright red at the realization of her wish. Even so, a part of her did want to spend a whole weekend alone with him. Her eyes looked awkwardly to the side, ashamed of her answer. She was about to say that it was a bad idea, but when two hands landed roughly on both her shoulders, stopping her midsentence, she was nothing but startled by his own answer.

"Ok, if that is what you truly want, than I will do as my commander wishes."

He gave her a smug wink before walking the other direction, one hand waving goodbye.

…

When Shishio was sure Yosano was out of sight, he touched the tip of his mouth, scolding his bold moves. He could still feel the warmth of that girl's soft lips on his. Taking out a cigarette, Shishio lit it as he walked back to his place.

…

 **I am very aware that this fandom is dead/over, but I just can't let these characters end here… So this is part of a long story on what happens later ! :D**

 **Please review your thoughts on this :3**


	2. Chapter 1,5

**And here is another chapter for al you shizumeshippers xD It is a bit short, but the next one will hopefully be much longer ( °w° )/**

 **Disclaimary: I do not own HnR, if I did Shizume would've been canon !**

…

At her mothers place Yosano couldn't help but smile, radiating a slight glow of happiness. She sat at the edge of her old house terrace, watermelon in hand while humming an old song from her childhood. From behind came Yosano's mother, sitting herself next to her daughter.

"You seem like your in high spirits, wanna enlighten me?"

With surprise taking advantage of Yosano's still mood she ended up chocking on a bite of her watermelon. Worry filled the mother; who quickly stood up just to come back with a glass of cold water. She handed it down to the brunet, patting her gently on the back. After a few minutes to calm down, Yosano looked up at her mother.

"Wh-what do you mean 'in high spirits'? I am t-totally normal, like every day!"

She darted her big blue orbs here and there, lies written all over her. The mother smiled warmly.

"Well whomever this person who sets you in such good mood is, I am happy to see you enjoying your life in Tokyo."

Yosano gazed up at her mother, worry flashing through her mind, but it quickly faded as her mother changed the topic to something else other then her love life. While her mother started talking about the new house in Bangladesh, Yosano couldn't help but feel her heart flutter as an image of Shishio came to mind. She somewhat missed his voice, even if they just saw each other the other day.

Later that night her mother went out to greet some old friends. Yosano sat at their couch, pillow in hand, fantasizing about the next weekend to come. It would be just her and Shishio-sensei, them two together, alone. Her and the man she loves, alone… all alone! Her face flushed red at the thought. Slowly Yosano crumbled herself into a ball, hugging the pillow tightly to her chest, her face still boiling.

"RrrRrring ""RrrRrring"

Yosano jolted up, eyes jerking at her phone. The phone buzzed again and again, on the ID stood the name that made her heart leap. Shishio Satsuki. Like a flash the phone was in her hand. She pressed the green button.

"DrrRr… DrrRr… HELO? Yosano-san?"

Yosano felt her breath stop, heart beating unquestionably fast.

"CHUNCHUN? ARE YOU THERE?"

Catching herself having not answered him right away, she fumbled with her phone, almost loosing it. In haste she brought the phone to her ear

"SHISHIO-SENSEI! W-WHY ARE YOU CALLING ME HERE?"

Yosano slapped herself at her stupid question.

"FUFU, CHUNCHUN AREN'T YOU GLAD YOUR GREAT SENSEI CALLED HIS BELOVED LITTLE STUDENT ON HIS DAY OFF?"

The blush came instantly, yet she was so very happy to hear Shishio-sensei's calming voice.

"I AM, TRULY GLAD TO HEAR YOUR VOICE…"

It was meant to be a thought, but she had accidently mumbled the words out loud.

"HAHA, HAPPY TO HEAR YOU TOO. SO, HOW'S THE COUNTRY SIDE LIKE? MUST BE FUN MEETING UP WITH OLD FRIENDS EY?"

They kept talking back and forth, not mentioning the event on Saturday.

…

 **I would believe this can be a somewhat unnecessary chapter, yet felt like we should have some fillers before the big event *v* LOL, just kidding, but do tell me what you thought of this story so far, good or bad, doesn't really matter ;p**


	3. Chapter 2

**OKEY! Another chapter published xD I feel like Shishio is a bit ooc, but you gotta live with it I guess, and hopefully he wont be too ooc. I suck at making characters act like they originally do, yet I feel like this is semi good/ acceptable:') Hope you enjoy whomever is still interested in the shizume fandom xD**

 **A week later**

Yosano stared with glittering eyes. Next to her stood Shishio, her teacher. They were currently in front of the entrance of a hotel that was known for their hot springs, yet somewhat infamous. The place was still packed though. Shishio went to get them each a room, having an error at his previous order cancelled. Before hand he told that it would be awkward if they shared a room together, which Yosano completely understood. But like when they were renting an inn on their "date", all the rooms were booked, and there was only one left. Shishio stood shell shocked at the déjà vu. In the end they still rented the room.

The room was nice, two futons laying beside each other on the floor, a bathroom, and a small table in a corner. All in all, this entire place was small and not very spacious for those who were trying to keep a slight distance for comfort.

Both of them stared warily at their room, a shadow of nervousness crossing their faces. They spent a couple minutes unloading and packing out necessary stuff, separated the futon a little and resting around a small table.

Yosano was first to break the strangled atmosphere.

"We should go to the onsen now, I wanna go, I wanna go."

She shook her arms up and down, excitement radiating from her. Shishio smiled a small smile, thinking she was just like a little kid at times.

"Sure,"

He sent her a sly smirk, staring into her vivid blue eyes.

"By chance does ChunChun want to go to a couple onsen? Since your so eager to go anyways,"

He leaned over the small wooden table where they had sat down, his eyes glinting with something Yosano had never seen before. Bright, like a shining star, kinda unnerving yet alluring. She stayed silent for a while, too focused at Shishio's glimmering green eyes. Finally realizing that she wouldn't say anything back, Shishio laughed, yet a blush formed on his pale face.

"It was a joke Suzume, you don't have to look at me so seriously."

He was about to back away, but her gaze caught his, a warm feeling bubbling in both their stomachs. Yosano leaned in, with the exception of the final moment of the last breath of the almost kiss, Shishio backed away. He smiled at her questioned face.

"If you both look at me like that and start kissing me, I might just not be able to control myself."

He placed his hand on her head, ruffling her long wavy hair.

"And we wouldn't want that now would we?"

It was rhetorical, not meant to be answered. But Yosano did want it, just a little.

"And if I wanted to snuggle, would you lose control then?"

He stared at her dumbfounded, quickly turning around to hide his tomato red face. She was so innocent at times he couldn't take it! Letting in a deep breath and exhaling, Shishio crossed his legs in an x - shape, spinning dramatically back to face the blue-eyed girl.

"Don't blame me if you fall even deeper in love with me then."

He gave her a wink while pointing pretend pistols at her. Even if it was meant as a joke, Yosano looked down, mumbling that that wasn't possible, as she had sunken so deep there would be no way coming back anymore. Shishio didn't catch it; he rested a hand behind his ear, indicating for her to repeat the sentence.

"Sorry, what was that?"

Yosano flinched, quickly looking anywhere but at the man in front of her.

"I-it was nothing!"

It was almost a shout, and Shishio's fragile ears cringed at the sudden volume. Hurriedly Yosano stood up, walking like a robot towards the door.

"We should be heading to the onsen before it's to crowded-"

Shishio sweat dropped at the sudden change in topic, hastily grabbing her hand.

"Wait just a sec kid, first you haven't put on your yukata, and secondly, the place is probably already crowded, so we should wait half an hour or more so there aren't too many people."

He huffed the last part out. Yosano gawked at the man in front of her. With speed of a bumblebee Yosano took one of the yukatas in the room and went straight for the bathroom to change. Shishio's gaze lingered at the door, his lips quirking into a soft smile as she took her time.

He decided to get changed as well. He took off his glasses, started stripping down to his underwear and t-shirt, already forgetting that he wasn't alone in the room, disappearing in thoughts. Yosano opened the door from the bathroom, peering uncertainty outside of the room, that's when she noticed Shishio standing there in his underwear, on his way to strip of his white shirt. Landing a foot on some creaking wood, Shishio's eyes moved quickly to see Yosano standing behind the bathroom door, startled. He smiled in shock; sweat drops forming on his face. "SHIT" was all he could think. It was silent in the room till Yosano realized she had been staring at her sensei's lean muscular body, like lightning she shut the door, and like a person who had lost all feelings in their legs she fell down on her butt, back against the door. Shishio hurriedly finished dressing on the yukata, putting it over his white shirt, which he had decided to keep on.

"Eh, uhm ChunChun, I'm done dressing, so, yeah, you can come out now."

Carefully Yosano's head stuck out from behind the bathroom door, her face still heated at the image of this guy only in his undergarment. Shishio sent her a sheepish look, scratching the back of his neck in discomfort, body slightly turned away from her.

"Sorry that I didn't warn you that I was changing, hehe, I'm pretty embarrassed to say the least…"

Yosano looked up to see Shishio's nervous smile, eyes seeming distant in conflicting thoughts. Slowly Yosano came fully out of the small bathroom, walking toward Shishio, his back facing her now. She grabbed the hem of his yukata, tugging it to get his attention. He turned his head sideways, trying to look at the brunette. Her face was sweating as she tried to say the words on her mind

"Eh-ehm, sensei, I-I think you're quiet handsome, even sensei's body is attractive."

She barely said it over a whisper, but Shishio heard it crystal clear and a blush crept up his cheeks, he had to bite the tip of his thumb to not lose it. Behind him was the embarrassed Yosano, taking another moment to muster up a question she longed for.

"Sensei, can you hug me like at the inn? Your body felt so secure around my own."

The thumb in Shishio's mouth was discarded, as he turned around confused at what this girl had just said. His face heated up even further, remembering that moment where he tried to distend himself from her, but lost control as soon as those lonely eyes stared back at him. She didn't look at him with those lonely eyes now, but there was something too cute about them that he couldn't help himself; with fast movements he pulled the young girl into his arms, firmly placing his arms around her. Yosano was startled by the sudden change of balance, but she easily came to lean in at the secure hug.

The hug lasted for a couple minutes, and when they parted it was just so they could see each other face to face. Their eyes lingered on one another, Yosano's face gravitated toward his, but even on her tiptoes she only reached eyelevel with Shishio's nose. Trying to be a bit bolder, Yosano cupped her sensei's rosy cheeks, guiding him closer to her waiting lips. They kissed gently, but something snapped as Shishio opened his eyes momentarily to look at Yosano, her face glowing with content, yet he wasn't content with such a simple kiss himself. Surprising both of them, Shishio held Yosano's face in his big palms, forcing a hungrier kiss on her. Responding on impulse, Yosano slipped her arms down to clench a hold on Shishio's blood red yukata, tugging him closer as well.

The desperate kisses stopped as soon as Shishio slipped his tongue in between Yosano's parted lips. Yosano hadn't anticipated such an odd move that she by accident pushed Shishio away. It only moved him away from her face. He looked at her confused, but then he remembered that she was still so young. He felt so ashamed at almost ruining the girl's purity. At times like these he wished that Yosano were older. The awkward silence gave Shishio an even worse feeling in his stomach; he tried to ignore the awareness of how pedophilic he was for liking a 16-year-old girl. Both palms covered his face as he tried sighing the frustration out, it didn't work, and he quickly asked Yosano if they should head out for the onsen before it became too late. While asking he masked his embarrassment of what he had just recently tried to do.

…

Shishio slipped steadily into the hot water, towel balanced on top of his damp hair. There came a sigh of relief as the tension in his body faded with the steam. An image of Yosano's shocked face after he had tried to deepen the kiss flashed before his eyes, Shishio sank deeper into the water, only leaving his eyes and hair exposed.

 _What had he gotten himself into?_

…

Yosano gradually sunk in to the hot spring, already feeling her muscles calm as the warm water cleansed her mind. She folded the small towel she got from the hotel and let it rest on a rock. Leaning her own head on the same rock, Yosano closed her eyes, thinking back to that kiss she shared with Shishio Satsuki. A blush poofed up at the memory of his warm tongue trying to penetrate her slightly parted lips. Without realizing it her fingers reached for the slight opening in between her lips, it had surprised her, but it also felt kind of nice, like she wanted him to pull her back and continue. Her heart pounded at the image she got of him kissing her deeper, she slapped her face to calm her nerves a little.

"Potato girl? Is that seriously you? What are you doing here?"

Yosano gazed up to her right, finding a standing living doll. She blushed at the exposed skin of her friend Yuyuka. A mortified look crossed her face as she realized she hadn't told the doll like girl about her staying here with their sensei. Casting her gaze down at the steaming water, Yosano tried coming up with a believable answer

"Well you see, I've always wanted to go to an onsen, and so since Shishio-sensei asked if I wanted to do something with him this weekend, that's what I asked."

Yuyuka stared in shock, not expecting that answer. Snapping out of her mortified state, Yuyuka grabbed Yosano's slender shoulders.

"Are you crazy! Suzume do you have no self-preservation?! Well I guess it's fine as long as you guys sleep in different rooms, but still!"

She pinched the bridge of her slim nose, conflicting thoughts of worry for this dense girl. After waiting a minute or so without a respond to her statement she snapped her head at the tomato red girl in the water. Yuyuka couldn't believe what she wasn't hearing; she peered down at the girl again

"Please tell me you guys aren't sharing a room together…"

Yosano kept her gaze focused on the still water, seeing her own reflection growing more crimson.

"W-well that was initially the plan, but something happened to sensei's orders and so we were only left with the last room the hotel had available. I asked if we should've just postponed the trip, but he reassured me that it would be a waste of time after going trough all the trouble to reach this place."

Yuyuka thought suspiciously of the confession, slowly the wheels in her brain spun as she realized what was happening.

Her face went pale, blood running cold. She leaned steadily inn to catch Yosano's shy gaze, and when she caught it

"Have you maybe considered that this was the plan all along? That sensei actually had an alternate motive to get you guys sharing a room? Please remember that you're only 16."

It was a hushed tone, and Yosano hadn't come to **that** conclusion, she shook her head vigorously at her friend.

"Nononononono! It was an accident, even Shishio-sensei told me that we should have separate rooms."

Yosano stood drastically up, catching some confused looks she quickly faltered back to the water, her head spinning with all the possibilities that Yuyuka could have had a point. She shook her head again, knowing better than to accuse Shishio like that! She heard Yuyuka sigh, shoulders shrugging in defeat.

"Well I don't think sensei is some shady guy with alternate motives, **but** he is dating his 16-year-old student… Yosano you got to be careful, OK? Don't make Mamura suffer even more…"

The last was only a mumble, but Yosano had perfect hearing and heard those last words. A sudden realization came dawning at her, Mamura knew about her and Shishio-sensei's relationship! Not just having a hunch anymore… Her head snapped at Yuyuka, dragging her down to shoulder level, eyes worried

"Is it because of my relationship with Shishio-sensei that Mamura has been ignoring me? I mean I knew he had a hunch, but not that he knew the whole thing…"

The words trailed down into nothingness. Yuyuka blinked at the brunette, a struggle wanting to scold her for being so dense, but swallowed it.

"You know, Mamura will probably get over it, and Suzume, you got bigger problems to worry about, because you are obviously not letting this taboo relationship go, now are you?"

She waited for an answer, but continued as soon as she saw the blush on the girl's pale face.

"Since you are so sure, just ask him to keep some distance while you sleep. OK than, I must go back to my family now. See you."

Yuyuka stood up, starting at the exit. After a couple steps, she spun around giving the sitting girl thumbs up while winking, her short hair dripping. Yosano was alone once more, staring as the girl faded into the steam, her heart beating rapidly over the conversation they had.

Not being able to calm down anymore, she too stood up, preparing herself to finish up and rather relax in the cool night air outside.

…

Shishio was finally relaxing, somehow sorting out his problems, and giving them temporary solutions. He sighed a deep sigh. After this he would probably go for a walk and then sleep. A flash of Yosano sleeping next to him crossed his mind; he shot up from the water, deciding that he needed that walk sooner then later.

He dried himself before heading back to the dressing room.

…

Outside stood a flustered Yosano, the cool air not helping much to keep her mind calm. Resting her elbows on the railing, she could feel her eyes dozing off, her head becoming heavy. She figured that it was time to go back to her room, Yosano turned and headed back inside to the inn. On her way she stumbled upon two middle-aged men, obviously slightly drunk form too much sake.

"Hey there little girl, do you want to get a drink with us? It'll be fun."

One of the men asked, taking a step closer. Yosano wanted to run away, shout even, but her head felt drowsy and she could've really gone for some water by now. The other man grabbed her hand, halting her from escaping.

"Well I don't hear any refusing. Haha, this'll be fun, she's quite attractive don't you think Li?"

The man, Li, nodded his head in agreement, a set of yellowish teeth exposed on his sly smile. Yosano felt herself shudder, she mustered an attempt on refusing, but it didn't come out. The two men led her away, practically dragging her along the floor.

"Shishio-sensei…"

It was barely a whisper; her vision became blurry with black dots. She felt the two men release her, probably running. A secure hold came around her petite frame; the smell of cigarette smoke and coffee filled her senses.

…

Shishio was only going for a short walk. As he exited the door to the night sky he could too easily welcome the cool summer air. He came to a halt at the scene before him, two men dragging a young girl with them. It didn't seem like she was struggling, but as soon as he got a better look at the girl, he noticed who it was. Yosano! He brought down the water bottle from his lips, already half empty.

"Yo, guys, I think you've got the wrong girl there,"

He kept his pace till he arrived a few feet away from the trio. Their attention quickly went on the tall man. Both men were maybe in their late twenties, not very attracting or seemingly strong. Shishio took a step forward, they took one back. He gave them a sly grin, something evil glinting in his eyes.

"That girl you're holding, she's mine. Please let her go and never return."

He sent them a sweet smile, but with a dark force seeping through it. The men pulled back, harshly discarding the young sleepy girl. Shishio quickly took a hold of her, catching her tired body before she went completely limp. Her lips were dry, and he may think she was confused to where she was when she mumbled something about wanting two cups of rice for her cooked fish. A gentle gaze formed on his clear face.

"Suzume, you always do make me worry."

He carried her back to their room; where he made her drink the rest of his water bottle. She fell asleep right after.

…

Yosano turned under her futon, feeling slightly warm under it. Slowly she opened her big orbs, shocked to see Shishio sleeping soundly beside her, faces a breath away from each other. She flinched at the closeness, his steady inhales and exhales made her fluster. Smoke and coffee could be smelled through each breath he took, Yosano hid under the futon, thinking his sleeping face was suffocatingly cute. Without further ado, Yosano slipped out from under the covers, planning on getting herself some cool beverage.

When she came back, Shishio was still sleeping, her head turned to a clock on the wall, 6.30A.M it said.

"I guess it's still pretty early. Maybe I could go brush my teeth while I'm at it."

She looked at the man, a tingling sensation clenching her heart. How she wanted to cuddle with him, having those long strong arms rapped around her made her all giddy inside, not really showing it on her face though.

"Shishio Satsuki, you make it hard to breath, because my feelings for you squeezes my heart so tightly. If you would only rap your arms around me and never let me go. "

Yosano left for the bathroom, smiling at her little talk to the sleeping Shishio. She wouldn't believe herself capable of saying those words to him if he were awake.

Shishio opened one eye, smiling at the words of the brunette. When she came back, he had both eyes closed.

Yosano kneeled down beside the man, staring warily at him. Hoping that he was truly asleep, she slid under the covers of her futon, facing Shishio. The familiar sent of his body reminded her that he lived in a different world of coffee and work. She inched closer to him, dragging the covers with her. Without trouble she scooted closer, his arm somehow rapping itself over her as she did so.

"Chunchun… closer… come… closer…"

Her eyes shot up to look at his face, was he dreaming about her? With delicacy Yosano poked the man's cheek, than she tried again, and again. She sized him up, concluding that he was still sleeping. An idea escalated her brain, a rosy tint covering her cheeks. Yosano closed her eyes, sticking her tongue slightly out through her puckered lips.

Shishio felt something warm and wet touch the tip of his lips, his eyelids jolted up. What was that girl doing? It seemed like she was trying to kiss him? But was failing miserably with the poking tongue. That's when he understood what she was trying at; a flicker of a smile crossed his face as he leaned a hand on her cheek, halting her poor attempt at a French kiss. She jumped back, surprised by his sudden touch. His eyes gleamed at hers, sending flashing starlight's in the deep blue of her eyes.

"I know I'm gorgeous, but I've got this morning breath, and that is very unpleasant to kiss."

It did smell slightly sour mixed with his trademark sent.

"Why don't you just brush your teeth then, I can wait."

He blinked at her a couple times, and then burst into a laughing fit. He rolled out of bed, beaming as he went to brush his teeth. The laughing hadn't quiet left him when he returned back to the waiting girl. She looked up at him, dread and excitement dwelling up inside her chest. He sat down next to her, scooping her soft cheeks in his rough hands. He inched in, breath smelling like peppermint now. His emerald eyes devoured her surroundings; she couldn't understand how he came to love her as much as she did him?

"Are you ready Suzume Yosano? Because either this will feel great or horrible, but since it's me, it will be awesome!"

He beamed at her, making her heart flutter. She saw him close in; she closed her eyes, waiting for him to kiss her in that weird way. Shishio felt hot, face flushed, stomach clenched, he felt like an insecure teenager about to kiss a girl for the first time. Scarcely a minute passed before he finally decided to go for it. It went slowly, much like the first time he had tried to kiss her at his apartment, but there were no interruptions that could hinder him now. It was quiet in the hotel room, Yosano held her breath, pinching her eyes shut. She had read some manga where they kissed like this, but she couldn't imagine what it would feel like. He gently pressed his lips on hers, enjoying her compliance. She became more engaged in their little kissing, actually having done some research about it days ahead. Trying something she had read on the Internet made her want to blush, but Shishio beat her to it. He gently bit the bottom of her lips, sending shivers down her body, then while holding her head in place, slowly slipped his tongue in. The tongue felt weird and rough, but somehow it gave her a pleasant feeling as well. Later they snuggled under the warm blankets, Yosano in Shishio's warm embrace.

When the clock hit 11.00, they would have to sign out, giving them some time to eat breakfast at a nearby café. Having given the relationship and how it had to be a bit discreet made Yosano bring along two wigs for each of them, a black curly one for Shishio and a long white pigtail wig for herself. Nobody noticed them other then as a halfway normal couple.

…

 **And that is the end of this chapter. Please leave a comment of what you thought, it really makes my day knowing that someone finds this interesting or bothered reading it :D Till next time -**


	4. Chapter 4

**Oh yeah, I am keeping this updated with a short chapter again -_-) Sorry. But anyways, I am so thankful thar someone reviewed this fic :D Thank you so much anon, you are the reason why I took my time updating this x3 Hope you enjoy it3**

 **So now Yosano is home and Yukichi find out about her relationship with our favorite sensei3 It could be that they are way of character, but I like to try make them not too ooc... hope you enjoy this xD**

"Uncle I'm home!"

She was welcomed by a bear hug from her uncle. Her eyes stared at the white ceiling, patting the grown man reassuringly on the back. She had lied to her uncle, telling him that she was just going to sleep over at a friend.

 _I think your uncle's got a suspicion of us._

She looked over at the man, who had finally let her go. He smiled warmly.

"Now how was your sleepover Suzume? I'm happy you're getting along so well with your classmates."

"It was fun, but we didn't do much though. Just talked and stuff I guess."

He nodded; glad to know his niece had had fun. Yukichi Kumamoto went to the kitchen, preparing Yosano's favorite dish. While he started cutting up vegetables and seasoned the meat Yosano sat at the table, eagle eyeing the man's back.

 _I think your uncle's got a suspicion of us._

"Hey, uncle, I haven't seen sensei at the shop lately. Did something happen?"

Her uncle stopped slicing up the carrot, dread falling over him. Did she know that he warned Shishio Satsuki back then? He kept his pose, back against his niece, resuming to what he was doing.

"May I ask why that is important?"

Yosano looked up at her uncle, curiosity and discretion in her field of thinking. Daring a little test on concluding Satsuki's suspicion, Yosano would tell him a risky confession.

"Uncle, I think I am in love with Shishio Satsuki, and I'm pretty serious about it too."

Her uncle was about to interrupt, not finding himself in this answer.

"Suzume, you're only 16, you don't-"

But Yosano didn't let him finish.

"Uncle, I love you, I am thankful for you taking care of me… But I am in love with Satsuki, and I want you to either support us or just stay out of our relationship. I don't think I can forgive you if you come between Satsuki and me."

Yukichi was utterly speechless at his niece's words. He turned to look at her, face both determined and afraid. He let the knife stay on the kitchen table; all focus on the girl sitting on a wooden chair. The once peaceful air had turned a 180°.

"Go to your room…"

Yosano looked shocked. She wanted to protest, but her uncle said it again, this time with much more force in his tone.

"SUZUME YOSANO. GO TO YOUR ROOM RIGHT THIS INSTANT! YOU HAVE HOUSEARREST UNTIL YOU REALIZE THAT THIS THING YOU THINK YOU HAVE WITH THAT CRIMINAL ISN'T LOVE!"

Yosano wavered her head in shock, slow steps backing out until she faltered out from the kitchen, running to her lonely room. She cried, cried and cried until there were no more tears for her to cry. Her puffy eyes gazed up at the treasure chest-like box on her desk, empty orbs looked past the box, and on to the clock. It was 7.38PM. The room felt gloomy, she needed some fresh air. She was too scared to go out the front door; instead she locked her own room from the inside, jumping out of her window in a moment of escape. On her was a jacket, a pair of new shoes she had yet to use, and everything she wore since she came home.

There were no destination she was aiming for, and so she ended up on a random street, face to face with Mamura. He seemed just as surprised as she felt.

"Suzume? What are you doing here at this hour? You know your house is like 30+ minutes away right."

He inspected her a bit closer, finally noticing her puffy eyes and pink nose. He wanted to take her in his arms, comfort her. So he did just that, wrapping both arms around her, letting his first love cry on his shoulder.

The embrace didn't last as long as Mamura wanted, and Yosano pushed him gently away, rubbing her stained cheeks. She gave him a smile, even though there was a sad hue to it.

"Thanks Mamura, I feel like you're always there when I need someone to comfort me. I am truly a lucky girl to have someone like you by my side."

She bowed slightly in thanks, and then started walking aimlessly down a road. She stopped when he grasped for her slightly wet hand. She did not face him.

"Suzume, why cant you give up on that person, being with him obviously leaves you in so much pain, don't you see?"

He waited for her respond; yet let her go as she turned to look at him with eyes filled with sorrow and compassion.

"I'm sorry Mamura, but giving up on sensei will give me more pain then the ones I'm facing now. But I am truly happy to know I have a friend who cares about me the way you do."

And he kept silent, allowing the girl to drift away from him, both physically and mentally.

…

After purchasing some manga from the store, Shishio headed back to his apartment. He walked with a cigarette in one hand and a plastic bag in the other. Above him was the setting sun, decorated by clouds in astonishing colors. He stood still, so mesmerized by the sky that he didn't notice the sulking girl walking right into him. He shrieked, the cigarette falling along with his manga. The girl didn't even look up, her focus cemented to the ground. The long brown locks immediately caught his attention.

"Suzume?"

And the girl threw herself in the man's arms.

…

 _"_ _Uncle, I love you, I am thankful for you taking care of me… But I am in love with Satsuki"_

Yukichi Kumamoto sat at the kitchen table, face leaning in his hands. He sat there, devastated at the thought of telling his sister the news. How he wished that girl would just fall for anyone other then that man, Shishio Satsuki. They were friends, had been for years now, but to think that he was in love with a girl 9 years younger than him made his blood boil. Yosano was still too young, inexperienced and shouldn't have such a relationship with a grown man, much less her teacher!

 _"_ _I want you to either support us or just stay out of our relationship"_

The determination in her voice did not fool around, he knew that now, this girl was truly in deep love with her teacher, his friend. But he knew Satsuki, and he knew that if things became too difficult for him he would try to flee the problem.

 _"_ _I don't think I can forgive you if you come between Satsuki and me."_

He sighed, frustration pumping his every vein. In the end he decided that he would have to discuss this with someone of more experience then himself. He picked up his cellphone, dialing the number of someone out of town…

"LONG TIME NO HEAR, HOW MAY I HELP YOU WONDERFUL KUMAMOTO-SAN?"

"Hi Tsubomi-chan, well you see…"¨

…

The room was quiet; Yosano was sitting in Shishio's living room while he prepared some tea. He handed her a cup, which she calmly took. The air smelled of cigarettes and coffee. Shishio looked back to how they ended up in this solemn silence. Well, he first met her on his way back home; she had bumped into him and later hugged him while a full force of tears went loose. He had gingerly embraced her, and the next thing you know it is 8.20PM and they are sitting around his little table, drinking oolong tea in silence. Shishio looked worriedly up at the shaken girl. Despite it almost being the end of spring, today was seemingly cold. He stood up and walked next to the person he loved, a hand resting itself around her shoulder, pulling her closer to him. The palm of his hand rubbing soothingly up and down her arm.

"You know, I was a bit surprised to see you so soon Suzume, especially all shaken up like this. Don't tell me you missed me so much you couldn't wait a whole day until we would see each other again?"

He tried to lighten up the mood with a little teasing, but Yosano stayed quiet. Shishio was about to apologize for his sad attempt, yet she was first to speak.

"It was uncle, he gave me house arrest because I told him I love you,"

She gazed up to meet the shocked face of her teacher; his hand had stopped rubbing her arm, stiffness in his hold around her. He looked back at her, fear smeared all over. Why was this happening? Why did he have to fall in love with his friend's niece of all people? Shishio sighed in defeat, not wanting to struggle with these conflicting thoughts, instead he wanted to comfort this girl in his arms.

"Well, I think Yuki-chan would understand it when he knew that I will never let you go."

He ruffled her hair, a secure smile on his chapped lips. Yosano sniffed a little more, but quickly felt her head grow heavy. It took no effort for her to snooze of, resting her head on Shishio's shoulder. He leaned closer to her head; it burned. Shishio hastily brought his free hand up to feel Yosano's forehead. It was hot. A conflicting look came upon him, and in the end he decided to dial the number of her uncle.

"SORRY, BUT YOUR NUMBER HAS BEEN BLOCKED."

Shishio groaned into his hands, frustration seeping out from him. He looked over at the girl, sighing in clear defeat.

Carefully lifting the young girl to his bed, Shishio stood up to look outside. It was pouring; a light illuminated the room, fallowed by thunder. Speechless was he, realizing he couldn't take Yosano all the way back home by carrying her, he had no car, and the buss only went every one hour at this time, worse is that it would go a detour to get to her place plus an extra ten minute walk from there. He looked back at the sleeping girl, sighing before putting on a raincoat.

Shishio stepped outside; he was met with drizzling water on his exposed face. He scrunched his nose in distaste, regretting that he didn't buy that umbrella that one time after he had lost the other. It was dark outside; the street lamps hardly illuminated any visible light. Then the lightening happened and everything went even darker. Shishio made a gesture of frustration, cursing a "are you kidding me!?" under his breath.

Knowing that it would be very difficult and unpractical to even try and orientate himself to Yuki-chan's place, just so he would have to return back to the girl alone in his house. Giving in defeat, he decided to go back to his dry home, rather try to make sure that Yosano would get better soon.

A sleeping Yosano welcomed him as he came in, just how he had left her. He smiled weakly, noticing that the power in his house was out too, the temperature sinking notably fast.

 **So this was interesting... well there is more fluff I think in the next chapter. and if this gets over four different reviews I will update the next chapter right away xp**


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry for not updating for a while, but I have been pretty busy with school and anime xP But I haven't forgotten this I promise, especially not the Shizume fandom! NEVER, NOT EVEN AFTER DEATH!**

The room fell 5 degrees; making Yosano shiver under the thin summer blanket, cool sweat forming on her back. She had tried to open her eyes, but they wouldn't budge without an immense pressure to her skull. So she let them stay shut, not knowing where she was at the moment. A warm hand took place atop her damp forehead, and too desperate to let the warmth slip away, Yosano stretched her hands for the warmth, accidentally wrapping itself around a bigger source of heat. JACK-POTT!

The hands around him, her face on his, Shishio felt his muscles fail, leading him to fall beside the feverish girl. His plan was to check how her fever was doing, but Yosano did an unintended surprise attack on him, somehow in her feverish state she had come to hug him so weakly and longingly that his muscles were literally melting into the girl's arms. He felt the all too friendly blush that formed whenever something intimate was shared between him and the girl hugging him in his soft bed.

He tried to pry himself away, but immediately took notice of Yosano's cold damp body. Her face was flushed, yet she must feel rather cold under the thin summer cover of his. Shishio knew that he could not take her anywhere; the medicine cabinet only had some aspirin and coughing medicine. He hardly caught a cold, and there was nothing some sleep couldn't fix for him. Figuring out what to do, Shishio brought a pair of his pajamas, intending to wake the shivering Yosano, wanting her to change to something drier. He came to her, trying to shake her gently, to slowly wake her. Her eyes fluttered in discomfort, not liking to be awoken back to turmoil and headaches. The annoyance quickly left as she laid her eyes on Shishio's worried ones. She started changing into the given clothes while Shishio left to fetch a glass of water. When he came back Yosano felt everything spin. Hurriedly Shishio handed her an aspirin tablet and the glass. She gulped everything in one shot, coughing slightly by the brute stop in her blowpipe. She finally stopped hacking, and easily fell back to the big pillow, resting. Shishio gave a soft smile, started to stand up, figuring that he should do some work, but was halted mid way by Yosano's hand. Despite himself, he turned over, sitting himself right next to her again; he kissed her damp eyelid with tenderness.

"Do you want me to stay with you a little?"

She peered open an eye, nodding in slow motions to not reawake the headaches again. Shishio grinned at her, piling her inn a secure embrace.

"Well I'm blaming you if I get sick for morning classes then, ChunChun."

She looked down in slight shame, but the man's body was so comfortably warm against her that she didn't want it to fade. She remembered the almost naked body of his, and her face flushed red. She was truly happy that the man wouldn't notice it as anything other then a part of her fever. Then she fell asleep.

…

The next day she woke up at her place, in bed, under her blanket. "Huh" she said, figuring it was just a dream. She looked over at her alarm clock "08:47". Yosano tore her blanket off her, jumping to her closet, fetching her school uniform. She started taking off her pajamas, too stressed to take notice of how big it was. Now she was clad in her school uniform, ready to run and make it to history. She was stopped in the middle of the stairs by her uncle, hands full with a board of food. Yosano felt her mouth water. She quickly snapped out of the refined smell from the mesmerizing food.

"Sorry uncle, but I have to make it at least to second period!"

Her uncle didn't move, but he did send her a funny smile.

"Suzume-chan, you were called sick today because of your fever, don't you remember?"

She couldn't recall anything but her dream, a dream where Shishio was sleeping next to her, she who was cuddled in his warm arms. She smiled panicky at the memory; cheeks reddening for each second, sweat forming rapidly on her face. Ah, but that was just a dream, no way would Shishio-sensei let something like that happen. Then an image of their kiss at the inn came to mind, her whole face was rushing with hot blood.

"AAAHHHH! Nonono, don't think about that!"

And she ran back up to her room, leaving a puzzled uncle behind. He didn't understand it totally, and he only left the food on her doorstep, telling her that he had to go to work now.

Yosano fell against her bedroom door, trying to figure out what had happened after she ran from home the other day. Her eyes averted toward her desk chair, where her newly worn PJ's were. They consisted of a big grey cotton shirt with flannel-patterned pants as company. She stared at the clothes; feeling like something was missing in those descriptions, but not able to totally grasp the missing part. Yosano couldn't take it any more; she stood up, took the shirt and sniffed it. It smelled familiar, but not her own familiarity; rather it was someone else's.

…

It had been a couple of months since Yosano and Shishio really hung out, ever since her uncle blackmailed Shishio with calling the police when they had tried to confront the man with their relationship status again. Even so, Yukichi became more evident on the subject after a month of persistent actions to prove that Shihsio was serious about Yosano; Yosano telling him that she truly loved Shishio, and finally gave in after the girl started crying. Tsubomi had come in as well, encouraging him to understand that they were just unfortunate lovers who only met complications because of bad timing.

It was the middle of summer vacation, and Yosano lay bored in her room. She had tried to reach Yuyuka, but she was outside the country, both Nana and Monika were with their families, and Mamura had gone to the states. She was al alone, worse was that it was such a nice day too. She sighed, leaned her chin on the fluffy pillow, trying to enjoy an old manga.

"Pling"

The sound came from her phone, without much thought she discarded the old manga to the side, grabbed her phone and saw who it was from. It was her uncle asking her if she could help him buy some inventories. She felt her spirit finally lifting, a glow on her not too emotional face. Quickly she sent an "OK" which was fallowed by a list of the things her uncle needed. She sat her phone on the wooden desk, changing out of her home clothes. Finished changing Yosano locked the door on her way to the supermarket. Her aura was filled with a good mood as she gazed happily at the sky, a happy-go-lucky way of walking. After a couple ten minutes she stopped by a sound.

"Pffft!"

Yosano snapped her head to face the laughing person behind her. There stood a tall lean man in a t-shirt and shorts, black hair with thick-rimmed glasses on, and Yosano could feel her heart skip a beat. It was clearly the last person she expected to see in the middle of the summer, as he told her he was going to Europe for a good part of the vacation, but there he stood, tall with slightly tan skin. Waving a hello, the man came to stand beside her. Their eyes locked, emerald on sapphire. His smile was radiant.

"Well someone must be having a good summer, ey Chunsuke?"

Yosano pulled dramatically away in surprise. She heard that he would be back in early august. It was still July, even if it was over half. Calming down a little, she peered down on the floor, embarrassed to look at how attractive the man had become in the short time they had been apart. Daring a look at him, she found his green eyes envelope her in affection. Her eyes darted back at the cemented ground, her face slightly red.

Given the silence a long enough breakthrough, Shishio tapped Yosano's right shoulder for attention. She looked awkwardly up at him, her cheeks still pink.

"Hi Shishio-sensei."

The teacher moved his face closer, making her stumble back, and loosing her footing falling backwards. She pinched her eyes closed, waiting for the brute fall. It never came though, only a hard grasp on her wrist. Her eyes sought her savior, leaf colored eyes met hers, a concerned contortion on his face.

"Sorry, are you OK?"

The scene gave her a sense of re-living her first time in Tokyo, but this time her lips went tight, eyes wide and cheeks warm. They stayed like that for a while, their gaze locked, Shishio gravitating her closer to him, faces now inches apart.

"What'cha doin kiddos!"

The "kiddos" jumped away from the intervening person, startled faces staring at the woman with short hair and big eyes. It was Tsubomi in all her glory, shining at the little couple. She sent Shishio a dirty look, a hand over her sly smile.

"Satsuki-kun, did you fantasize something naughty about Tsubame-chan as you were about to kiss her? You sure looked really serious there."

She evaded the attempted mouth-shutting attack from Shishio, his face bright red. Yosano took more time to understand the meaning, but as she did, her face flushed crimson too. Tsubomi twirled away from another strike from her ex, sticking her tongue out in playful mockery. Enjoying the man's defeat, Tsubomi placed both arms on her hips, grinning at the two.

"I was just joking. I am happy that my plan worked out. It feels like I am the only one who ship you guys. It took me like forever to educate Yukichi-san that love has no age."

She winked at Yosano, and sent a knowing smile to Shishio. With ease, the older woman snatched Yosano's phone from her back pocket, checking her newest message. Reading through it, she threw the fragile phone back to its owner, surprising Yosano. Tsubomi turned on her heal, walking passed the couple, smiling to herself as she did so. The teacher and his student stared at the disappearing woman, which she noticed. She turned her head to look at them, handing them a thumbs up.

"I can run that errand for Yukichi-san, so enjoy the amusement park ticket in Tsubami-chan's left pocket. Have fun!"

And she turned a corner, the way to the supermarket. Yosano stared at the long gone woman, still dazed by what she had said. She felt a hand on her left butt cheek, making her jolt at the sudden touch. She snapped her head back, seeing Shishio holding two tickets in his hands, studying them. He looked up at her, sending a sneaky smirk.

"What? Thought I was going pervert and touching your butt for fun? Haha, nah, your still too young for that ChunChun."

He beamed at her, went for her hand, and started walking continuously down the road. He brought up Yosanos's phone from her now unoccupied hand, tapping a text to her uncle, telling him that she and a _friend_ decided to go to the amusement park and would come home late. He looked back at the fallowing girl, sending her a wink.

"Just gotta change to something new, since I haven't been able to after arriving back to Tokyo."

And so they walked for a good ten minutes, finally arriving at the man's apartment.

 **OK, so lets just pretend that Tsubomi was planning on meeting Yukichi and over the telephone he mentioned that Yosano was out shopping for him** ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ **and as for the fever epsiode, I know it is undeniably unrealistic, but I wanted fluff so yeah, it happens... DOn't forget to leave a comment down below ;D**


	6. red riding hood

**Sorry for not updating in months -_- I do have the next chapter ready, however, before I publish it, you can enjoy a bad written sidestory ;P**

"Suzume, you need to wake up."

Suzume groaned in response to her mother's command. It was a Sunday morning, and it was her day to sleep as long as she wanted. No school, no work. That was a normal Sunday for the sleeping girl.

The rattle of a bucket caught Suzume's attention, and her whole body jolted up to find her mother carrying a bucket with ice-cold water. Yeah, Suzume didn't dare try lay down after seeing the danger she was in. Her mother, pleased to see her daughter awake, smiled, telling her to come down to the shop in ten minutes. Suzume only nodded, her eyes never leaving the scrupling* bucket.

She was down in her family's bakery in five minutes, wearing her winter dress and her braided pigtails.

"I'm here mom, did you need anything?"

"Hi honey, sorry to wake you up on a Sunday morning, but me and your father have to work, and your uncle has a cold, so I want you to bring him this,"

Her mother held up a nice basket in her hands, the smell of freshly baked bread seeping through the cover. The girl was practically drooling over the contents. She felt her hand maneuver towards it, but her mother slapped it away.

"Suzume, you are not allowed to eat this, it's not for you, but you're uncle."

She handed the basket to her daughter.

"Don't go off trail dear, and watch out for Wolves!"

Suzume covered herself with her favorite red riding hood, which reached down to her ankles.

"See you later!"

Therefore, the girl in the red riding hood left to visit her uncle in the forest.

On her way, she checked on the Mamaru family, giving notice to Daiki, her best friend.

After accompanied by her friend to the end of their tiny village, Suzume nibbled on her breakfast. As she got deeper and deeper in the woods, she felt a set of eyes fallowing her movements, like a predator watching its pray.

"Well, doesn't that smell good?"

A smooth voice appeared behind the girl, giving her a fright. Her grip on the basket failed, which started falling along with her breakfast.

"Woopsy, you shouldn't lose such good smelling food girl."

Two hands grabbed the falling items like a flash of light. It wasn't even near the ground yet.

In front of Suzume stood a tall lean man, carrying her basket and breakfast. He stared intently at the half-eaten piece of bread, smiling. Then his gaze turned to her. His eyes were of surreal forest green, and the man's being just shined.

"And where might a little girl like you be heading off to in this deep dark forest, hmm?"

He mused at her, waiting for an answer. She would probably have given it if it weren't for the fact that he had a tail and a set of wolf ears. So she only stared at him.

He seemed disappointed over her lack of contribution on the conversation, yet he handed her items back, telling her to be more careful, and then disappearing from sight.

The fact that he just ran of surprised Suzume; didn't wolfs eat human girl? Was he even a wolf, because other than the ears, tails and eyes he seemed like an ordinary person, give or take? Maybe the reflexes were a bit unrealistic, but it saved her from a scolding so she wouldn't complain.

When she arrived at her uncle's cozy house in the forest the sun had risen high in the sky even though it had only been around thirty minutes. She appreciated the warmth of her uncle's house, which contrasted significantly from the winter weather outside.

"Uncle, it's me, Suzume. Mother sent me to give you some stuff from our shop."

Suzume walked inside the kitchen, placing the basket on the kitchen table. She found her uncle sleeping in his bed, a wet cloth over his head. The fire from the stove crackled in the silent room. Suddenly the man started chocking, making him sit up and the cloth fall. In a hurry, Suzume came and tried to help him, giving him a glass of water and a bucket in case he had to throw up.

When the coughing calmed down, her uncle asked if she could get him some of the things she brought. She did, giving him a fresh piece of bread together with some ham and cheese. He thanked her.

As her uncle fell asleep again, Suzume had taken up a book to read. She assumed it was a new one, because she had never stumbled upon it before. She had read them all on her frequent visits, but not this one.

While being consumed by the book, Suzume didn't hear the sound of a door opening. And when she felt the sudden breeze from outside dance on her pale skin it was too late. She turned around to find a trail with even drops of blood, a sudden horror filled the girl, and without hesitation, she sprinted silently to her uncle's bedroom.

He was still there, safe and sleeping. Suzume let out a sigh, but quickly put on a serious demeanor as she fallowed the blood trail with a fireplace rod in her hands.

There came a melodious tune from the kitchen, followed by a whiff of mesmerizing smell. It was so hypnotizing that for a second Suzume let her guard down, and robotically walked in to where the smell came from.

The first thing she laid focus on was the oven-pot with soup, but the thing stirring the soup was what surprised her.

In the kitchen stood a tall lean man, tasting the aromatic dish. It was the Wolf-man!

Suddenly Suzume's guard was up again, and she attacked.

...

Shishio woke up to a huge pain in his head, and it was not a hangover. He tried to rub the sore spot, however, they were tied behind his back, making it impossible.

"Heeeey~ what's the meaning of this?"

He sniffed the air, noticing a new scent to Yukichi's house. There was a presence nearby him, still in the kitchen.

"Hey, I know it's you girl. The one I met with the cute red hood."

He chuckled at the memory of how she walked so mesmerized by the snow that she hadn't seen him walk up next to her.

The sound of fidgeting steps appeared from behind a closet. Shishio turned his emerald eyes at the girl; she wasn't wearing the distinctive hood anymore. She was holding onto a fire spear, aiming it at him.

The man screeched unexpectedly, not because of the young girl, but rather by a cockroach crawling on the floor behind her. With effortless power, Shishio ripped the rope binding him apart, jumping on anything above the tile kitchen floor. Suzume just stared at the scene with shock. What was wrong with him?

She picked up the cockroach and threw it out the window, praying that it would find another safe home out there.

As the insect was out of sight the wolf-man relaxed, instinctively going up to his savior to thank her as every friendly wolf-man would. With a big love cuddling embrace.

Suzume gasped in surprise by the hug. Paralyzed the contact, the girl only stood stock-still, waiting for the creature to rip her apart. With her eyes shut, Suzume worriedly expected her early death by a superhuman man. Nevertheless, she took notice that the raven-head loosened his grip around her, maneuvering an inch distance between their faces. He smiled everlasting a sparkling smile.

"You are a brave little girl...?"

"Suzume."

The name blurted out before she realized what she said. The brunette quickly covered her mouth by the action, red creeping up her round face. The wolf-man smiled genuinely at the action.

"I like you Suzume."

His words came out with true emotions, and for that, Suzume's face burned crimson.

"Wha-what?!"

"The names Shishio Satsuki, at your service."

Before the girl could fathom what happened, Shishio had closed the inch that stood between their faces. However, instead of pushing him away, the slow movement of their lips rubbing against each other wooed her into kissing him back.

As they parted, Shishio gleamed over her with emerald eyes.

"You are a very good human Suzume."

Suzume stared at him, stunned by how enchanting his very being shined with that smile. But as the trance faded, realization crashed on her actions, giving the heated blood rushing to her face. Shishio laughed at her face, it really reminded him of a delicious ripe tomato.

"Oh yeah, you're culture is different when giving thanks to others. Please forgive me for my inconsiderate performance."

The sound of something overcooking stole the moment, and with swift movements, Shishio disappeared to the burning soup.

...

"Here you go Yuki-chan."

Shishio handed a bowl of steaming hot soup. Luckily, he was able to salvage the dish before it was too late. Behind him stood Suzume, her eyes lingering at the two men. The faintest smile appeared at that moment.

"Uncle, I should be heading home before it becomes too dark. I'll be back as soon as I get time, ok?"

Yukichi nodded, a smile formed on his pale skin.

"Hope to see you soon than. And sorry for not being a better host."

"No worries just rest and get better when I come over again."

Shizume left to fetch her rid riding hood, taking note of the sun lit sky. It would turn dark in mere hours, and the way home took one and a half. After another quick farewell, the brunette walked on the powdered snow, inhaling the crispness of winter.

She walked alone for two minutes, a sudden hand tapping her shoulder made her pay attention to the wolf-man. Pink dusted her porcelain cheeks, her eyes showing sincere joy and fight of his presence.

"Shishio, what are you doing here?"

He smiled at her, a proud aura surrounding him.

"Well to make sure you return home safe and sound. Plus, it's no fun hanging around a sleeping Yukichi."

He grimaced and stuck out a sharp tongue in gesture of the thought. Suzume laughed at that, leading to Shishio joining her. They kept walking.

...

"Well, I guess this is goodbye then."

Shishio and Suzume stood at the bay of the forest; the sun was setting behind piles of threes.

"Thank you for taking care of my uncle... Moreover, sorry about hitting your head earlier, I thought you were a dangerous man who was going to rob uncle. "

Shishio laughed at that, gently taking her hand in his, placing a gentle kiss on top before disappearing back into the dark forest.


End file.
